BackCall for Visual Novel CreatorsApr 4, 2025Call for Visual Novel CreatorsPlatforms like Steam and itch.io have become essential in distributing Visual Novels, but they primarily serve the broader gaming market, often leaving VNs as an underserved niche. We believe there is a significant opportunity for a store and community designed specifically for, and adapted to the unique nature of Visual Novels. (We delve deeper into this in our previous article).That's why we're building RouteVN.We envision a Visual Novel platform and community to create, discover, read, and truly engage. We've launched an initial version of RouteVN store on Web, iOS, and Android. Now, we're inviting forward-thinking VN creators to join us as early partners in shaping this platform's future.Partnering to Publish on RouteVNPublishing to RouteVN is a unique process with its set of challenges and opportunities.Your VN will need to be ported to RouteVN's VN engine. We have built a custom VN engine from scratch and plan to open source it later in 2025.We understand that the idea of porting raises concerns about workload and sharing source materials. RouteVN will handle all the porting so that we don't increase workload for the VN creators. Our goal is to minimize the effort on your end while ensuring a high quality result.Here's how our partnership works:

1. Provide Materials: You share the necessary build files and source assets (scripts, images, audio, etc.) for your VN with us. We handle your intellectual property with strict confidentiality and security.
2. RouteVN Adapts: RouteVN will perform the technical work to bring your VN onto the RouteVN engine. We'll estimate timelines based on length and complexity of the VN and keep you updated.
3. Creator Testing & Approval: We provide you with a fully functional build for your review, testing, and feedback.
4. You Publish: Once you're completely satisfied and give the green light, you publish the adapted version through the RouteVN Publisher interface.

We know this requires a different workflow and a degree of trust compared to other stores. However, this approach enables the platform to provide an elevated reading experience for users. We are betting that the benefits will eventually overcome the costs. Let's talk about the benefits of using the RouteVN engine.Seamless Cross-Platform IntegrationOur unified engine provides a seamless reading experience across different devices (web, iOS, Android). Installation becomes straightforward. Readers don't need to think about OS or text encoding issues, it just works.Readers will be able to read VNs offline, from a laptop on a plane to a phone on the subway. When connected to internet, save data automatically syncs to the cloud, enabling readers to pick up right where they left off when switching between their PC and mobile devices.Integrated Language Learning & Translation ToolsVisual Novels offer a unique combination of interactive text and audio, making them powerful tools for language learning. I personally learned Japanese this way. However, the current experience often requires readers to juggle external applications such as text extractors, dictionaries, and translation tools.RouteVN aims to solve this by building essential language assistance features directly into the reader. Imagine built-in dictionaries and optional translation support available seamlessly within every VN on the platform.This integration promises a much smoother and more effective experience for anyone engaging with your work in a non-native language. As a consequence, the VN becomes available to a wider global audience.Social readingTraditionally, Visual Novels have been something that you read alone, much like reading books. When readers want to discuss their experiences or share reactions, they typically need to navigate away to external forums or social media platforms. This context switching creates friction that is often a barrier to meaningful community engagement around the content.We're inspired by the success of "danmaku" (floating comment) systems pioneered by platforms like Niconico and then adopted by Bilibili, where viewers can see others' reactions in real-time overlaid on the content itself. By adapting this concept specifically for Visual Novels, we can make the reading experience more interesting and social.Social sharingUnlike video platforms where sharing a specific moment is as simple as including a timestamp in a link, Visual Novels have lacked this fundamental capability. Currently, sharing memorable VN moments requires taking screenshots or an entire video recording which is not ideal and adds friction.RouteVN transforms this experience. Imagine encountering a powerful scene and being able to instantly create a shareable link by selecting start and end points. Other users can click the link and experience that exact moment in their browser with all the visuals, text, and audio. This seamless sharing creates new opportunities for VNs to reach wider audiences through social discovery.Of course, we would implement appropriate limitations for paid content so that users can't share the entire VN.These are some of the features that become possible only with a unified platform and engine and why porting to the RouteVN engine is necessary. It enables experiences that simply cannot be implemented within the constraints of traditional VN distribution methods.Publish Your Visual Novel on RouteVNRouteVN is building a new platform specifically designed to elevate Visual Novels. We're looking for creators who share our vision and want to be early adopters.If you're interested in publishing your VN on RouteVN or have feedback about our approach, please reach out at [email protected].Let's shape the future of Visual Novels together.Back to topCall for Visual Novel CreatorsPartnering to Publish on RouteVNSeamless Cross-Platform IntegrationIntegrated Language Learning & Translation ToolsSocial readingSocial sharingPublish Your Visual Novel on RouteVNBlogHiringPrivacy PolicyTerms of ServiceContact